If you’re like me, when you first hear the term Affiliate Marketing, you might as well be listening to a podcast about string theory, because it sounds weird and technical-like. However, it’s just what it sounds like: marketing through affiliates.

Now what this really boils down to is bloggers marketing products and earning commissions on the sales. There is an immense ROI for companies paying commissions to affiliate marketers who drive sales. But how does affiliate marketing work, exactly?

Affiliate Marketing in 3 Easy Steps

1. Create content about something you love on a website

2. Place affiliate links on your site, which will track sales that you refer

3. Earn commissions on those sales!

This video explains the process, in a nutshell. For a detailed explanation, see the end of this post.

So, you’re on the network? Here are the next steps toward earning money with your site.

Earning Commissions

Let’s take a quick step back to look at one more vital part of affiliate marketing: Getting paid for the commissions you’ve earned as an affiliate!

Through AvantLink, you get to choose your payment method, and even set up automatic payouts when your balance reaches a certain amount. But first, you’ll need to give us some information so that we can pay you commissions that you earn. And don’t worry, we work very hard to ensure all your information stays secure.

Step 1

First, when you login to AvantLink, you’ll be prompted to enter your contact information. This information is required for working with merchants, filing support requests and… getting paid! So take a quick second, and fill this out.

Step 2

Next, set your company name and tax classification. This is necessary for when AvantLink needs to make a tax filing on your behalf. After completing this, you can begin applying to merchant programs.

That’s it, in a nutshell! If you want to learn more, keep reading and visit our YouTube channel or AvantLink Support.

And if you’re part of our network, and need to get started, learn about our simplest, most effective tool, the Snaplinker, and start putting affiliate links on your site today!

A Detailed Explanation of Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is all about sharing your passion with others, and helping them find the gear or resources that will make their experiences better. Here’s a simple breakdown the process in more detail.

1. A merchant with an online store forms an affiliate program on a network–let’s say… AvantLink.
2. You, the blogger, review or advertise products from that merchant and apply for the affiliate program through AvantLink.
3. The merchant reviews your blog to make sure it’s relevant and has the right audience for their brand.
4. When you’re accepted to the merchant program, you can use AvantLink’s robust tool suite to embed links and ads for products on your site.
5. When a reader visits your blog, and clicks any affiliate links or ads, AvantLink’s tracks their activity on the merchant’s website.
6. If the reader makes a purchase within the cookie duration set by the program (see a program description page for examples) the merchant will pay you, the affiliate, a commission on the sale.
7. AvantLink’s network automatically applies any commissions earned to your AvantLink account (which is why we require payment information upon sign up–we want you to get paid quickly and conveniently!).
8. The commissions will keep coming in as long as AvantLink’s tools are installed on your site. Plus, AvantLink adds new merchant programs everyday, constantly expanding the opportunity to earn more commissions from a variety of different outlets.